Days of Reckoning
by LadyDeb1970
Summary: Part Five of the Points of Departure series: It was five days that forever changed Great Britain and the world. Five days that Torchwood has been preparing for since Gray returned with Jack. But will it be enough? POD re-write of Children of Earth.
1. Prologue: A Stirring of Evil

Author's Notes: Okay, so here we have the next installment in the _Points of Departure_ series and the re-write of _Children of Earth_. To say that I completely turn _Torchwood_ canon upside down on its head, shake it a few dozen times, and then turn it upside down again, is a minor understatement. However, I can tell you this: at the request of rhia_starsong, I've included two conversations/confrontations between Alice and Lucia. One will be one-sided … the other, not so much. That's all I'll say about that, because I don't want too many spoilers. And to say that _Children of Earth_ will have a much different ending this time around is a mega-understatement. It won't be a completely happy ending, but it _will_ be a hopeful one, and I think that's all any of us have ever asked, because this _is_ Torchwood.

Disclaimer: Captain Jack Harkness, the Torchwood team and concept, and his family, don't belong to me (although I like to think I take somewhat better care of them, especially Jack). They belong to BBC, Starz Studios, and Russell T. Davies.

Prologue

A Stirring of Evil

London, England

July 2009

She never really thought about the amount of time they spent in graveyards … maybe because Torchwood operatives rarely lived past the age of thirty-five, and death was a constant companion. Scratch that … they rarely attained the age of thirty-five, much less living past it. Her mother was a rarity, but only because she took her small daughter and left Torchwood. Left Torchwood, left her father, left the man she claimed to love. _Or_, as Owen sourly put it when she finally told him the story, _she cheated_. Her lips twitched as she thought about the man she thought she could love. Oh, she was a bit older than him, and she knew that her father would have Owen's arse if things went bad between them (and not in a good way), but yes, she thought she could love Owen. She stared at her mother's grave, murmuring, "Do you know, I still haven't forgiven you for that, Mum? Not just taking me away from Dad, but for trying to turn me against him … for lying to me about him. You taught me that Dad always lies, and he has lied. But your lies are bigger than his."

Alice Carter, born Melissa Moretti, paced in front of her mother's grave. Steven was in school, while Esther and Ianto were spoiling Alice's father. It'd been a hard year for Torchwood, though not without some bright spots. There was the wedding of Rhys Williams and Suzie Costello … and Alice was beyond happy for her friend, because of all people, Suzie deserved to find a good man who could fill in the missing pieces of her heart and soul. And much to the astonishment of all, they were able to adopt a toddler girl named 'Anwen,' who was left orphaned by the recent Dalek invasion. Jack merely smiled a bit sadly when he was told her name, and Alice guessed that was the name of Rhys and Gwen's daughter in the other reality. There was also the birth of her new cousin … Devin Shayne Harkness, born to Gray and Tosh just a few months earlier. Not surprisingly, little Devin never lacked for someone to hold him. Also not surprisingly, aside from Mummy and Daddy, his favorite person to hold him was his namesake and Uncle Jack. Devin always settled right down when Alice's father held him.

She continued after a moment, "Do you know what the biggest lie of all is, Mum? That Dad asked for any of this. He never asked to be immortal. He never asked to die and come back to life, he never asked to watch the people he loved die or turn against him because he remains young and beautiful while we wither and age and die. I finally got it, and it was because of Esther. She's young and beautiful, but she won't always be young. She said, almost off the cuff, that it said more about your insecurity … and mine … that we resented Jack, than it does about him. Think about that for a minute, Mum. The fault, the weakness, is with us. She'll age, Mum, just like we will, but do you know … she'll still be beautiful. Even if she lives to be eighty-five, she'll still be beautiful, because she's beautiful on the inside."

Alice thought about her confrontation with Suzie Costello Williams years earlier, when Suzie realized that Jack couldn't stay dead. She slowly shook her head, murmuring, "Dad is no saint. He's no angel, and do you know, Mum, I don't think I'd love him nearly as much as I do if he was. But he's a good man and he does his best, and that's all any of us have the right to ask of him. We expect him to have all the answers and to always make the right decisions … even when the best decision available to him can't save everyone … but he's only human, and _we_ have to take responsibility as well. That finally got driven home to me when I watched him die day after day after day on the Valiant, to protect us and to protect the Jones family. They love him, you know. They love him so much, and I pity anyone who harms Dad if Francine Jones finds out about it." She paused, allowed her lips to quirk just a little, and then she added, "On second thought, no … actually, no, I _don't_."

Her mother told her so many times while she was growing up that she was protecting her from her father. Looking back now, though, Alice realized that wasn't the truth. If she was protecting anyone, Lucia Moretti was protecting herself. She said softly, "You took me from my father. You convinced me that he didn't love me. But the truth is, you did it to hurt him. I don't think I'll ever forgive you for that, Mum. You _used_ me to hurt my father. So many times while I was growing up, you went on and on about the bond between a mother and a child, and what a mother would do to protect her child. But if I've learned anything from giving birth to and raising Steven, it's that a mother puts her child's well-being ahead of her own. You didn't do that. And if I hadn't met Suzie … a woman whose mother eventually did put her well-being first … I might have become just like you. But I _am_ the daughter of Captain Jack Harkness, I _am_ my father's daughter and I am _beyond_ proud of that. You may have won the battle when you took me away from my dad, Mum, but you _lost_ the war!"

With those words, Alice stalked away from her mother's grave. She felt a little lighter, but that albatross of resentment she felt toward her mother still lingered just under her breastbone, and she didn't know how to get rid of it. So many times, her father counseled her to let it go, to forgive her mother, but Alice couldn't. Not when her mother's words to her ex-husband could have resulted in Alice and Steven dying if Jack and Suzie hadn't been present. Not when her mother poisoned her memories of her father, not when … wait. She stared at the road, her heart seeming to take up residence in her throat.

In the street, children stood, speaking in unison. Cars screeched to a halt to avoid hitting the youngsters and Alice breathed, "Oh, no." She remembered what her father told her, about those first days of the catastrophe that destroyed his world. It was their hope (Torchwood as a whole) that the 456 wouldn't return, but in their heart of hearts, each knew better. During the last few months, using her father's false memories (but were they really false), Suzie and Alice began putting contingency plans in place.

For now, Alice fumbled in her pocket for her mobile, hit the speed dial number for the Hub, and said tensely, "Suzie, it's me. Yeah, I'll be leaving in a few minutes. It's started, and we can start expecting the attacks soon. I know. I know, and if they decided that putting a bomb in my father is a good way to 'contain' him, we have new avenues open to us. Right. Right, I'm on my way back. I'll see you soon … kiss Anwen for me. Bye." She ended the call decisively and made her way back to her car, absently taking note of the way the children returned to their senses and carried on as if nothing happened. To them, it hadn't, and that was good. But for Alice, as she started her car, she swore that this time, she wasn't losing her father _or_ her son. She would _die_ first.

TBC


	2. Chapter 1: Just a Bit of Fluff

Author's Notes: Here we have the first chapter of '_Days of Reckoning_.' As the title implies, it starts out fluffy (and sexy), but starts turning dark in the third section. The format will be different from '_Children of Earth_' as well, since that focused on the individual days, thus, this story will be more than five chapters long. In this chapter, we have Jack, Ianto and Esther luxuriating in the afterglow after an intimate three-way encounter (not much actual sex, but still kinda steamy … I freely admit that my sex scenes suck rocks, nearly as much as my action sequences do); Gray spending some quality time with his wife and infant son; and Suzie getting her turn as a bad-ass mama.

Part One

Just a Bit of Fluff

Cardiff, Wales

Flat of Ianto Jones

Same Day

They made quite the picture, one that he wished he could paint, or at least draw … the handsome, mostly-naked, dark-haired man lying with his head in the lap of the beautiful, completely-naked blonde girl. However, he knew that both partners would have insisted on him including himself in that painting or sketch, and he was never very good at self-portraits. Still. That temptation was there, which was common in this relationship. And perhaps it wasn't the most conventional relationship, but Ianto Jones realized long ago that 'conventional' went out the window as soon as he joined Torchwood (yes, even Torchwood London, for all its formalities). Besides, 'unconventional' could be quite … rewarding.

Right now, that 'reward' came in the form of Jack's purring as Ianto rubbed his thumb over the arch of his bare foot and his sleepy smile. Ianto really did enjoy these 'spoiling days,' as Suzie had taken to calling them … usually rolling her eyes with an affectionate smile. And he knew that both of his partners enjoyed it. Every once in a while, Ianto would look up to smile at Esther as she ran her fingers through Jack's hair. Her long hair spilled down her shoulders and back and (mostly) covered her breasts. She looked a bit like paintings he'd seen of Lady Godiva, and Ianto wondered briefly if he could convince her to ride a horse while naked. She smiled up at Ianto and he took the silent invitation, leaning forward to kiss her lightly.

"You know, that's really hot," Jack murmured drowsily. Ianto looked down with a small smile. Jack reached around to caress Esther's spine as she leaned forward to accept Ianto's kiss, his eyes still closed, and their captain added, "Don't need to have my eyes open. Got m' other senses. 'Sides, it's always enjoyable to watch you two kiss." Ianto and Esther exchanged another smile, and the young Welshman leaned sideways to place a light kiss on Jack's breastbone, drawing a soft sigh of pleasure. Really, he loved touching them both … and if their odd little relationship was strange for him, he couldn't imagine how bizarre it was for Esther. But she gave as good as she got (sometimes even bashing their heads together when she thought they needed it), and now Ianto didn't want to think of a life without both Jack and Esther.

As Ianto continued his two-pronged attack, Esther murmured, "Shift up, sweetheart." There was a faintly protesting groan, but Jack slid further up onto Esther's lap, gasping a little as Ianto's caresses moved with him. The faintly protesting groan turned into a moan of pleasure when the next kiss brushed soft skin much further south. Esther grinned, brown eyes twinkling, and she began rubbing Jack's shoulders. Ianto smiled again, but this time it was tinged with sadness. He was starting to realize they all needed this … not just Jack, who was getting run-down with everything that happened in the last year, but all three of them. For that matter, it had been a helluva year for the entire team. But Jack … it was Jack who really suffered the most.

They'd made love three times in the last day and night. Suzie was watching over things at the Hub, and smiled indulgently when Ianto and Esther literally tugged Jack out, Ianto threatening to knock Jack unconscious and throw him over his shoulder if he didn't move his cute arse. And then he thoroughly ravished Jack in the back of the SUV while Esther drove back to the flat the three of them shared. That was round one. Round two came when all three were inside the flat, and Esther nearly knocked Jack on his arse with her kiss. They didn't even make it into the bedroom, just tore each other's clothes off in the foyer, exchanging desperate kisses, frantic touches, and small bites and nips.

There was a brief respite as they caught their breath, with round three beginning in the foyer and ending up in the bedroom. Ianto would begin round four with a massage, when Jack's breathing told him that the captain was ready. There was a particular hitch he listened for, that led to Jack's eyes darkening with desire. Jack and Esther did the same for him after a particularly unpleasant case, one that brought back memories of his mother … he repaid Esther in kind after Jack returned from the planets' return, and now it was time for Jack to benefit from their odd little quid pro quo. He loved touching Jack … loved the feel of his muscles and skin under his hands, loved the way Jack's blue eyes darkened with desire, the sounds Jack made when he touched him. And while sex wasn't about trust with Jack, Ianto still appreciated the trust which his immortal captain showed him. He and Esther could make Jack come totally undone, could render him totally unguarded, and coming from a man who couldn't stay dead, that level of trust took Ianto's breath away.

Right now, however, he was more interested in taking Jack's breath away, abandoning the light caresses of Jack's arches to stroke his fingers up along Jack's long legs, run his thumbs along the ridges of his hips before cupping his waist and ribcage with the palms of his hands and sliding his hands up the other man's chest. Jack slowly blinked his eyes open once more, a lazy smile crossing his handsome face. That smile, as ever, did obscene things to Ianto and with a wink to the blonde woman holding his head in her lap, Ianto leaned down to claim Jack's mouth. Esther breathed, "Oh, that's _beautiful_. You _two_ are beautiful."

"You're next, you little … oh. Oh God, _Yan_," Jack groaned as Ianto pulled back and allowed his mouth to follow the path of his fingers, kissing his chest, licking at his nipples, whispering caresses along his ribs. Thus far, he was being quite naughty, and avoiding the usual areas of arousal. That was quite deliberate … this time, at least, although there were times when things just worked out that way. The truth was, he wanted to tease Jack just a little. Not to be cruel, but because Jack's entire existence was a tease to Ianto Jones at times. Besides, Jack was beautiful under any condition, but like this … like this, he could stop Ianto's heart, and the younger male wouldn't have complained. There was an odd sound … not a moan or a gasp or a groan or a keen … but a combination of them all, and Jack gasped, "Yan, _please_!"

"Hmm … Ianto, he's talking too much. Evidently, we're not doing this right, because usually, by now, we have him totally inchoate. Do I have your permission to silence him? We can still hear the important things, naturally," Esther asked as she shifted Jack's head from her lap, and eased her body backward. Ianto looked up and captured the blonde's lips with his own, drawing a frustrated groan from Jack, and then nodded. Yes, she had his blessing … she knew exactly what she was doing, and Esther smiled down at Jack, before lowering her head to kiss him. For some reasons, those upside down kisses fired up Ianto's libido, and he launched another two-pronged attack of his own … aided when Esther intertwined her fingers with Jack's.

The 'L' word was never mentioned. But the truth was, Ianto didn't need to hear that word. Maybe it would be nice to hear it, but Jack told them both that he loved them with every look, with every smile, with the quiet little gestures that a less perceptive person wouldn't notice. Jack loved them both, and Ianto realized a long time ago that he loved both of his partners as well. Maybe not quite the same way, but that was all right. And it was equally all right that he didn't know what to call them. They were them … they were Jack, Ianto and Esther … and that was all that mattered. He was at peace with himself and his relationship with the other two members of this odd little partnership … and that left him free to relish the sounds that Jack made, muffled against Esther's mouth, as Ianto pressed a light kiss to the patch of skin just under his navel. Relish those sounds, relish the pleasure, because Ianto knew it wouldn't last.

They were Torchwood, after all. There was often more sadness than joy in their lives, but oh, the joy that they were blessed with? That made up for _every _darkness.

TWTWTWTWTWTWTW

How in the name of the Face did he get so _lucky_?

Grayson Harkness brushed a kiss to his sleeping son's forehead, smiling down at the infant who nestled in his arms so trustingly, before returning his attention to the mother of his son. His beautiful Tosh was sound asleep as well … evidently, Gray reached Devin before Tosh was too awake to go back to sleep. Gray couldn't help but pat himself on the back. Not only did he get his son back to sleep with very little fussing, but he managed to do it without waking his wife fully. As he slid back into bed with Tosh, Gray told their son, "Your papa, little one, is '_the man_.' I'm telling you that now, because in another fifteen years you won't believe me."

He cuddled Devin against his chest, thinking about the changes in his life ever since his chance encounter (yeah right) with a mad man in a box, who evidently owed his big brother a debt that he could never be paid. Gray told his sleeping son, "You know, if anyone told me that I'd end up finding my brother in the past … after he was buried alive by an imposter, mind you … that I'd fall in love with a member of his team, marry her and have a beautiful little boy, I don't think I would have believed them. Then again, my life was pretty unbelievable after your grandfather was killed. So was your uncle Jack's, even more than mine. I, at least, had the Hermit … he didn't have anyone, really. In a way, I hope that you have a quiet life, Devin. I want you to have what your uncle never had. But I know our family better than that, and I want you to be prepared. You have no idea how much I want you to remain innocent, but that … I wouldn't be doing you any favors. You'd end up being hurt even worse when you encountered ugliness, and the thought of _that _tears my heart out. And yes, your uncle Jack will be there as much as he can, but those are the key words, Devin … when he can. Your uncle Jack has a lot of responsibilities, sweet boy." Gray kissed the top of his son's head, smiling when a tiny hand fisted in his t-shirt.

The former Time Agent cast another look at his sleeping wife. Devin was just now getting to the point where he would sleep through the night, but Jack still had Tosh on maternity leave. Yes, Devin was five months old now, but Jack pointed out that an exhausted agent put herself and others in danger. It made Gray smile, because his big brother was even more protective of Tosh than Gray himself was. If Tosh would have allowed it, Jack would have spent half of her pregnancy carrying her around. As it was, she fumed when he banned her from the Hub at the beginning of her fifth month … for her safety, he said, and the safety of her unborn child. Tosh was welcome to work from home, but the Hub and field missions were off-limits to a pregnant agent. She fumed, but Gray couldn't stop thanking his brother. Jack merely smiled and murmured that he was just doing his job. Whether that was as Gray's big brother, Tosh's boss, or both, Gray really wasn't sure … and he was even less sure if it made a difference.

It took Tosh about two weeks before she'd start speaking to Jack again … not so much because she was angry with him, but her pride took a hit … and, she felt ashamed for being angry with Jack when she knew he was right. More to the point, she knew he was trying to look out for them both. Still, when they settled Devin into Tosh's arms, and she met the reason Jack was so insistent that she wouldn't go into the field … his wife looked up at Gray and stated, "After you, I want Jack to be the first person to hold this child. Devin wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for him." She was right, in so many ways, and Gray had no objections to his wife's statement. Hell, if she hadn't said it, he would have! Thus, he called his brother into the room, and watched as his wife placed Devin into the arms of his uncle and namesake. Jack's face lit up in a smile that Gray hadn't seen since they were boys and his eyes shone as he whispered to the infant. Alice and Steven were next to meet the baby, followed by Esther and Ianto.

Suzie and Rhys were the last to arrive, and thus, the last to hold the newest addition to the family. Gray smirked to himself, remembering how tentative Suzie was as she held his son. He'd teased her about that, he remembered, and how she wasn't nearly as cautious with her own daughter. Suzie pinned him with one of her Looks and observed rather pointedly that Anwen wasn't an infant when she came to their family. Jack backed up his second in command, who ever so cautiously eased Devin into her husband's arms. Rhys held the baby as if he did it every day, while Anwen crawled into her mother's lap. Suzie folded her arms around the little girl, kissing the top of her head after Anwen called Devin '_itty-bitty_,' and kicked Gray's leg when he told her what an adorable picture they made.

Which they did. Suzie was still Suzie, still the stubborn, hard-headed, somewhat prickly woman whom Gray first met (and who went seriously medieval on Aaron's sorry ass when he tried to kill Tosh and after she learned that he'd buried Jack alive), but motherhood did change her. He wouldn't go so far as to say that it softened her (except when she looked at Anwen or pictures of her daughter), but being a mother did change her. And just like his wife, Suzie was even more of a bad-ass now that she was a mother. Aaron found out the hard way the last time Gray accompanied Suzie to Flat Holm, and he made a veiled threat to Anwen … Suzie had him out of the chair and bent over the table with his arm twisted behind his back in less than a heartbeat. She growled, '_if you think you'll ever get __**near**__ my Anwen, you're even more delusional than I thought. If you so much as __breathe __in her direction, I will cut your heart out with a rusty spoon_.' Tosh added when Gray told her about the encounter, '_and I would hold him down for her … assuming Rhys didn't get there first_.' And Rhys immediately agreed … although he threatened to add castration by a rusty spoon to whatever Suzie wanted to do.

Not that Gray could blame him. He'd do the same to anyone who messed with Devin … and if it was Aaron, who already tried to kill Tosh, and who buried Jack alive for five years? Truthfully, there were times when Gray wasn't sure why Aaron was still alive. Yes, Jack wanted them to do whatever they could to help. Gray knew that this desire wasn't fueled by guilt, because Jack wasn't responsible for what happened to Aaron while he was the prisoner of those monsters. At least, Gray hoped it wasn't guilt, but rather, the knowledge that it could have been Gray in Aaron's place. If it was guilt, Gray would be having another talk with his big brother.

He didn't think it was guilt, though. He knew Jack and there was a particular saying in this era of Earth's history, '_there but for the grace of God go I_.' Although, he sensed that in Jack's case, it was more a case of, '_goes my brother_.' Aaron wasn't Gray, and Gray wasn't Aaron, but they could have shared the same fate. Gray didn't want to think about being so twisted that he would turn against his brother for something that wasn't even his fault … but he couldn't deny it was a possibility. Anything was possible. And as Gray knew so well, his older brother was a deeply compassionate person. He could be ruthless, but if there was a hope of saving Aaron, Gray knew that Jack would take it.

The new father kissed his baby boy's forehead again, and a sleepy voice murmured, "You know, that's very sexy … watching my husband cuddle our little boy." Uh-oh. _Busted_. He looked to his right, to find a very sleepy (and very sexy … damn, it was so unfair that Tosh was hot even when she was barely awake) beauty blinking up at him and their Devin. Tosh pushed herself up onto one elbow, leaning in to kiss Devin's cheek with feather-soft lips. Gray felt himself tremble, remembering what those lips were doing to him just a few short hours earlier.

"Sorry, love … meant to get him before you woke up," Gray whispered as Tosh snuggled back down again, her head resting on his hip. With Devin securely cradled against his chest, Gray reached down to stroke his wife's hair and the back of her neck. Tosh made a contented purring sound that went straight to his groin, and _oh_, he would make her pay for that later. Not now, not tonight, but when she was least expecting it, he would make her pay for that. Jack was always ready to babysit Devin, and if he wasn't available, there were plenty of others. One lovely thing about his brother's Torchwood team, there were always babysitters to be found when he wanted to ravish his gorgeous wife. Later, though.

Later.

TWTWTWTWTWTWTW

It was a quiet day in the Hub, at least until Alice called. Suzie Costello Williams swore quietly under her breath, because she _really_ wasn't sure they were ready for this. Truly, she wasn't sure anyone could be ready for this situation, but at least this time, they had some prior warning. She shook her head, reminding herself that despite Jack's 'memories,' it hadn't happened the first time, and she had plans in place to make sure that it wouldn't happen again. They had a full complement plus, Alice and Steven were fully in Jack's life, and even if those bastards got their hands on Jack a second time to put a bomb inside him, Suzie had contingency plans within contingency plans ready. There was no reason for things to end so tragically this time.

However, she was still nervous. It was becoming clear to her that the Rift was opened in 1965 deliberately, with the intention of drawing Jack from wherever he was at the time (Jack was tight-lipped about what he was doing), and someone knew what Abaddon would do. It was a set up, designed to remove Jack during that crucial time in 1965. But why? Suzie's research was only turning up more questions and very few real answers. The 456 were back, and time just ran out. Suzie picked up the picture of her young daughter, quietly swearing that she would sacrifice a child herself if it meant chasing those bastards off. But she was equally determined that it wouldn't come to that.

As yet, she hadn't told Jack about their contingency plans. It wasn't because she didn't trust him. In truth, aside from Rhys, there was no one she trusted more in this world or any other. No, she hadn't told Jack yet because a) she hoped those contingency plans wouldn't be necessary and b) because even her immortal boss needed a break once in a while. Yes, he was the leader and he made the decisions, but he didn't have to do everything himself. He shouldn't have to.

She looked at the picture of Anwen again, taken shortly after the little girl came to her and Rhys. Suzie swallowed hard. God, she was such a beautiful little girl! And Suzie knew, she _knew_ with every fiber of her being that she wouldn't have loved Anwen more if she was born of her own body … couldn't have loved her more. She caressed the little girl's face through the glass, murmuring, "Don't you worry, princess … Mummy and Uncle Jack are going to make sure those nasty aliens go away, and never come back. _Promise_."

The second in command of Torchwood picked up the picture of her daughter and pressed her lips to the glass. Rhys was at home today, although sometimes he took Anwen to Harwood's. His secretary Ruth absolutely adored the little girl. Like little Devin Harkness, there was never a shortage of people ready, willing and able to take care of Anwen if her parents weren't available for any reason. That reminded her. With a small sigh, she settled Anwen's picture on her work station once more and picked up the phone to call Rhys. He needed to know that she was putting their family emergency protocols in place. It was something they discussed while they were courting. Even then, Suzie was mentally planning what she would do if the 456 did return, assuming they were real. And she did make the assumption, because too many of Jack's 'false' memories turned out to be rooted in fact.

"Hey, luv, what's going on," Rhys said cheerfully as soon as he answered the phone. Suzie steeled herself, because by the end of this, her husband would know far more about Torchwood than she really wanted him to know. Despite his friendship with Jack, he didn't know about the darker parts of her boss' past, and she wasn't sure how he would take it. Never mind that Jack didn't really turn those children over to the 456 back in 1965, it was still Torchwood's responsibility. And Rhys could be something of an idealist at times. He was a very practical man, but he could be an idealist at the same time.

"Rhys, do you remember when we talked about initiating the family emergency protocols? I just heard from Alice, and we need to put that in place," Suzie answered around the rather sizable boulder that just took up residence in her throat. There was a brief silence, and then Rhys murmured a few rather naughty words in Welsh. Suzie fought back the inclination to apologize, because dammit, she did _nothing_ that required an apology. She wasn't around in 1965, she didn't allow the Glove to take her over, and the only reason she instituted this particular protocol was to protect her family … both her husband and daughter and her Torchwood family.

And then, Rhys said, "I understand, sweetheart. You just let me know what you need, and I'll get things organized. Maybe when this is over, you can tell me everything, but right now, Torchwood … and Jack … need you more." There was a slight pause before Rhys added in an impossibly gentle voice, "Jack was your family long before I was, Suzie. I'll miss you and worry about you, but I know that you're doing this as much for Anwen and me as for Jack." Suzie bit back the tears that wanted to fall.

Instead, she told her husband, "I am, cariad. I _am_. I'll call you when I know something more. I love you, Rhys. I love you so very much." She smiled through the stubborn tears that fell in spite of her best efforts when he told her how very much he and Anwen loved her, and then she hung up. She wiped her tears away, and began putting out feelers for what she needed to know. She would hold off on calling Jack until Alice arrived from London with Steven, and until she knew more about what was going on.

For now, she turned her attention to her research. Already, there were hits coming in from around the world about children speaking in unison. This was the first wave, she knew. Suzie organized the hits and began the next part of her research. According to Jack, there was a … well, a survivor, for lack of a better word, from the first incursion in 1965. Then a young boy, now a middle-aged man. She would look for him under both names … Clement McDonald, a young Scottish orphan. There was also his other name. Jack thought it was Timothy White, but as time passed since Gray dug him up, certain details were becoming dimmer. In a way, Suzie was glad, because Jack shouldn't have to remember such ugly things, not when he had forever in front of him. On the other hand, those memories could help them.

She was a half hour into her research when she got a hit from her queries. Suzie opened the link that was provided to her, and felt the color drain from her face as she read the article. She fought back a wave of nausea, murmuring to herself, "Oh, sweetheart, _no_ … oh, you poor baby. I am so, so sorry." Suzie swallowed hard and hit 'print.' Jack would need to see this. There were worse things than the fate Clem McDonald suffered in her friend's false memories … far worse.

TBC


	3. Chapter 2: The Other Side of the Coin

Author's Notes: Here we have the second chapter of '_Days of Reckoning_.' While I don't think I bash any characters in this chapter, Owen doesn't think too highly of the Tenth Doctor, and I don't see Owen being shy about saying so. I mean, c'mon. It's Owen! In this chapter, Rhys reacts to the news from Suzie and reflects on being married to the assistant director of Torchwood Cardiff; Jack, Ianto and Esther learn about the latest incursion; and Owen makes his own preparations. The next chapter should see the revelations about what Suzie has learned about Timothy White/Clem McDonald, and that's when things take a turn for the wild. Oh, and there may be a development for me in the job hunt, but I don't want to say anything until it's official … so that'll wait until next time as well. Onward, my dears!

Chapter Two

The Other Side of the Coin

Rhys Williams' office at Harwood Haulage

Cardiff, Wales

Same day

Rhys Williams slowly replaced the receiver in its cradle, his hand trembling just a little as his conversation with his wife ran through his head over and over again. Suzie initiated the family emergency protocols … the '_just in case and hope like hell it's never necessary_' protocols he learned about after he asked her to marry him and she did him the honor of saying '**yes**.' _Holy hell_, he thought numbly, _this is really happening. Suzie is worried enough about something that she's initiated something she hoped would never be necessary_. In the years since he first met Jack Harkness and helped to arrange the contract between Harwood's Haulage and Torchwood, never mind marrying Suzie, he came to realize that he probably would have been safer if he listened to Kathy Swanson and stayed well away from Torchwood.

It was true. He would have been a whole lot safer, and probably a little more innocent (okay, fine, a lot more innocent) … but despite knowing all of that, he couldn't regret his decision. He couldn't regret marrying Suzie, or helping to draft the agreement with Torchwood, or his friendship with the rest of the semi-secretive group. He received far too many wonderful things to regret any of it. Rhys looked at his daughter and picked her up, cuddling her against his chest. Anwen babbled at him happily, offering him the rag doll that Jack gave her when Rhys and Suzie's adoption of her was finalized.

He took it with a small smile, saying, "For me? Aw, thank you, baby girl. You are so good to me! Mummy won't be home for a while … your Uncle Jack needs her, but we'll be all right, now won't we?" Perhaps sensing his worry/distress/fear/absolute terror, his little girl reached up to pat his cheek. Rhys turned his head, just a little bit and kissed her oh-so-tiny palm, offering her a small smile at the same time. He kissed the top of her head next, murmuring, "Mummy and Uncle Jack and the others need to save the world … they're saving it to save it and to save it for you." That was what Rhys told himself when his exhausted wife returned on certain nights with hollow eyes and a smile that looked more like a pasted-on grimace. Suzie and Jack, along with Tosh, Owen, Ianto, Esther and Gray … they made sacrifices so that Anwen and Devin and Steven could grow up in peace. He knew that. He knew that when he married Suzie and accepted it. But there were times when … well, it didn't matter. Suzie was his wife, and he wouldn't want her to be anything other than what she was, whom she was. Whether he liked it or not, when he married Suzie, he married into Torchwood, and all that entailed.

He married a heroine, a woman who put her life on the line to save other people, and he was so proud of her because of that. How could he _not_ be proud of her? And she told him when they were married, reminded him again when they started talking about adopting some of the children who were orphaned by the Dalek invasion … she didn't have an ordinary nine-to-five job. There would be times when she didn't come home for days on end. There would be times when Anwen's care fell solely to him. She needed him to understand this, needed him to understand what would be expected of him. With their marriage, he would stop being just an ordinary husband and lorry driver … he would become a Torchwood husband, and certain things would be required of him. It probably wouldn't be anything fancy, most of the time. A shoulder to cry on, a warm supper when he should probably be in bed, a pint with his wife's co-workers.

Rhys couldn't say that he hadn't been warned. He was. Suzie warned him before they got married, Jack warned him before the first date, Ianto and Esther warned him, Gray and Tosh warned him … hell, even Owen warned him! He couldn't say that he didn't walk into this situation with his eyes open. His wife worked for a top-secret (after a fashion) organization that fought aliens who sought to harm humanity and protected aliens who only wanted to be left alone. It was an important job, and Rhys knew that someone had to do it … he learned that much from the poor space whale and from the Dalek invasion … but God forgive him, there were times when he wished that his wife wasn't the one to do it.

He had to admit, however, that there were worse things. Rhys smiled in spite of himself, remembering a story that Suzie told him about a Nostrovite that impregnated poor Esther not long after she began sleeping with Jack and Ianto. It wasn't funny, it really wasn't … the damn thing could have killed her. Even so, Rhys' smile widened a bit as he remembered Jack's observation to Esther after it was over … '_there is a bright spot in all this … at least now you know you'll look even more gorgeous when you're pregnant_.'

Suzie told him that Jack's once-over made it clear that he would find a heavily-pregnant Esther incredibly sexy. Actually, she added with a small, sad smile, Ianto would find such a sight incredibly appealing as well. Rhys didn't doubt it. Every time he imagined Suzie heavy with his child, his loins stirred and his mouth went dry. Suzie swore up and down that her father's abuse left her unable to bear a child … but that didn't stop Rhys from imagining just how beautiful Suzie would be while pregnant. Even more beautiful than she was now, he knew.

The lorry driver shook himself and returned his attention to his daughter, who was staring up at him with those large dark eyes that Rhys sometimes swore could see into his very soul. He smiled at her, murmuring, "Well now. Since Mummy won't be home for a while, we'll just have to make sure everything's perfect when we see her again." But he didn't mean their little cottage where Suzie walked the floor with a fussy Anwen, or where Suzie and Rhys made love in every room at one time or another. No, this was the safe house Suzie took him to shortly after they were married. That was to be his first priority, if he ever got that phone call from Suzie … go to the safe house and make sure there was plenty of food and all the beds were prepared. Jack always said that the twenty-first century was when everything changed and they had to be ready … and now, Rhys was starting to understand that '_being ready_' meant him, too.

TWTWTWTWTWTWTW

There was a time when she would have found it strange … creepy, even … to be in a relationship with two men. Forget that … to be involved in a more or less permanent threesome. Those days were long behind her. And speaking of behind … Esther Drummond shivered a little as fingers trailed along the skin of her hindquarters. He did this every time she bent forward to kiss him. Even when being pleasured into insensibility, he still had to touch, still had to make them shiver and shudder. Of course he did. It was just part of what made him Captain Jack Harkness, along with his greatcoat and braces (and now they had her saying 'braces' instead of 'suspenders') and devastating smile. That, naturally, led to her eyes sliding toward the third member of their odd little trio, who was dropping light kisses along the inside of Jack's thigh … and oh, that was hot. She never understood her (female) friends who squealed at the sight of two guys kissing, but this wasn't just two guys. It was Jack and Ianto, two men whom she loved. Maybe that was what made the difference.

Even with that, she still knew that Sarah wouldn't understand. She not only wouldn't understand, she would likely be appalled by her younger sister's life in Cardiff, and her relationship with Jack and Ianto. But Esther realized with a small shock that she didn't really care whether Sarah understood or even approved. She built a life with Torchwood, with Jack and Ianto, and they were worth it. Tosh and Gray and Devin, Suzie and Rhys and Anwen, Owen and Alice and Steven, Jack and Ianto and Torchwood … they were all worth it, and Esther wouldn't give any of it or any of them without a fight.

Which meant, of course, that she just jinxed their lovely little afterglow. She knew that, even before the phone began to ring shrilly. Jack groaned, "Ignore it. If it's important … dammit!" The drowsy, sexy drawl slipped away and Esther _heard_ the captain taking over. Her lover heaved an unhappy sigh as Ianto picked up his now-ringing cell phone and murmured that it was Suzie. They all knew that Suzie would only call if it was necessary. Jack thrust his open palm at Ianto, and the young man placed the cell in the open palm with infinite gentleness … a gentleness that told Esther that Ianto felt as she and Jack did about the interruption. However, neither said a word, as Jack sighed, "Yes, Suzie?"

Esther pushed her hair out of her eyes, and thus, she had a perfect view of Jack's expression as it changed from exasperation to horror to weary resignation. Esther rocked back on her heels, seeing Jack's next move even before his muscles began working together to pull him upright. He sat up slowly, grasping Ianto's wrist as her partner in crime sought to pull away. Esther exchanged another look with Ianto and moved into position on Jack's other side, feeling his other arm slide around her shoulders and drawing her against his body. Jack asked quietly, "What have you found out? Oh. That bad, then. All right. Give us twenty minutes. No, I don't intend to get myself blown up again, but intentions don't count for much, now do they?" There was more than a bit of tartness in Jack's tone, but it was the words that held Esther's attention. '_I don't intend to get myself blown up again_.' This time, when her eyes met Ianto's, she saw the same fear reflected in the Welshman's eyes that she felt herself. The only time when Jack was blown up (to their knowledge) was when those aliens-the 456-returned for the children in Jack's false memories. And that could only mean one thing.

The young woman closed her eyes, leaning her head against Jack's shoulder. Their worst fears were coming true, and now Steven's fate-as well as the fates of Alys and Melanie, and Ianto's own niece and nephew-now hung in the balance … as did Torchwood itself. Slim fingers curled around her own and Esther opened her eyes to see Ianto staring at her. Only someone who knew him as well as she (or Jack) did would recognize the anxiety in his blue eyes … the anxiety and the quiet rage. She returned the pressure on his hand, and he smiled at her slightly, mouthing, '_once more into the breach, then_.' Esther would have stuck her tongue out at him, but she knew better. Besides, unless she was mistaken, he got the quote wrong. She'd have to look it up later.

"I'm sorry, kids, but we need to get to the Hub. Suzie got a call from Alice about an hour ago … the children have started speaking in unison, so it's only a matter of time before they come after us," Jack told them as he ended the call. Ianto said nothing as he rose to his feet, pulling Jack and Esther up with them. Jack took a deep breath, his blue eyes reflecting an uncharacteristic hesitation, and said again, "I'm sorry. I really wanted this interlude to last longer. I …" He didn't get any further. Ianto took a small step forward, slipped his hand around the back of their lover's head to cradle his skull, and kissed him thoroughly.

When he pulled back, Jack looking thoroughly dazed, Ianto said in a low, level voice, "Don't you _dare_ apologize to us, Jack Harkness, not for this. Now, the three of us are going to get dressed, we are going to the Hub, and we are going to make sure those monsters don't get a single bloody child … not a single, solitary one. And if those sodding idiots do try to take you out, they'll find a very different Torchwood waiting for them." His voice never climbed above its current pitch, and that made the implied threat all the more terrifying.

Esther took that opportunity to ask, "That reminds me, since we never talked about this. Why would they come after Jack again … I mean, this time around? In the original … that is, in the dreams Jack had while he was buried alive, it was to prevent him from telling what happened in 1965. In our reality, he was dead in 1965 after nearly destroying Abaddon." And she still wasn't entirely clear about that. She read the mission reports regarding the opening of the Rift and the loss of life, as well as Jack facing off with the giant demon. What she still didn't understand was who stopped the confrontation between the immortal and the demon … unless it was Bilis Manger? Something she had to look into. Later, though. Later. Right now, rather than look reassured, though, both of her boys still looked grave. Which meant there was far more to the attack on Torchwood than Jack's 'involvement' in 1965, and Esther murmured as the truth started to dawn on her, "It was just an excuse, wasn't it? They would have done it, regardless of what you did or didn't do in 1965." Of course. She should have seen it before.

"There was more to it than that, yes … including their rather amusing theory that my immortality is tied to the Rift," Jack answered as he began dressing. The blonde girl registered a double take when she heard this. _Wait, they thought what_? But … but … but … that made no sense! Never mind, she would worry about that later. Even so, Esther gawped at him a moment, numbly accepting her sports bra from Ianto. Jack continued as he caught the t-shirt Esther tossed his way, "Which, of course, it isn't … something we don't want them to know in any case … but even if we told them the truth, they still wouldn't believe it. There's also the matter of UNIT wanting to get their grubby paws on our Hub and Torchwood in general." Jack's smile didn't quite reach his eyes as he mentioned UNIT wanting to get Torchwood in general.

Esther remembered what she heard from Suzie about Tosh's incarceration at the hands of UNIT and well understood the grim note in Jack's voice. It wasn't something that was discussed often (and really, she wasn't sure if Alice and Steven knew), mainly because it usually wasn't anyone's business. Esther only found out because she happened to notice Tosh's expression one day when UNIT was mentioned, and asked Suzie. That was a bit of lucky forethought on her part. She wasn't about to ask Tosh, and judging from Jack's expression at the same time, asking him wouldn't have been a particularly bright thing to do. As it was, Suzie was hesitant to tell her. Not because she didn't trust Esther, she reassured the girl, but because it wasn't her story to tell. In the end, though … in the end, she told her. She had her own reasons for doing so … Suzie usually did. Esther found it hard to reconcile that UNIT with the kindly old gentleman she'd met on more than one occasion, the Brigadier. Suzie admitted that the Brig himself acknowledged that today's UNIT bore little resemblance to the one he helped to build. _We weren't perfect, lass_, he'd told Suzie once, _but we did have limits_.

"So what's our first move?" Esther asked, sliding her blouse over her shoulders. A quick glance to her right told her that Ianto was almost dressed. One of these days, she'd have to tickle that particular secret out of him … how he got dressed so damn fast. Maybe she'd do it the next time he put his feet in her lap after she told him not to. Jack smirked at her, just a little bit, and she rolled her eyes at him, saying, "I mean, aside from getting back to the Hub, of course. How do we counteract whatever attack they're planning?" In the back of her mind, she was wondering if she should put into a call to Archie. He did tell her that if she ever needed him, she wasn't to hesitate to call. And there was something else that didn't make sense to her about the entire mess in 1965, but that could wait.

"I'll tell you on the way. Alice and Steven are on their way from London, and Suzie's already initiated the emergency protocols for Rhys and Anwen," Jack answered somewhat evasively. Which meant that he wasn't willing to take any chances. Esther could accept that. She wondered briefly if she should call her sister and warn her not to … do what? Was there anything she could do from London or Cardiff to protect her nieces? Much to her chagrin, Esther realized there wasn't a blessed thing that she could do. Sarah was somewhat paranoid at the best of times, which might protect the girls in this situation. Besides, while Esther was tempted to bring her entire family over to Cardiff, she feared that she would be putting them into even more danger.

By now, Esther was dressed, grasping Ianto's arm as she slipped her feet into her shoes … after she had them arranged properly. Owen still teased her about being too old to put her shoes on the wrong feet, the jerk. However, she always paid him back in kind, usually when he wasn't expecting it. He still didn't know about her part in that last prank Ianto played on him. And the younger of her two lovers said, "Well, I drove from the Hub, so I think it's Esther's turn." Esther raised her brows at Ianto, ignoring Jack's indignant expression, and Ianto said, "I trust you, even if you do still try to drive on the wrong side of the road."

"I drive on the side of the road that I'm familiar with and comfortable with. And considering I've only lived here two years, as opposed to the twenty-two years I lived in my home country, I think I'm doing very well, thank you very much!" Esther retorted, snatching the keys from his hand. She yelped a bit as Jack's palm connected with her rear. Oh, he wanted to play things that way, did he? Jack should know by now that Esther was always game. Ignoring Ianto's quiet snicker, Esther dropped the keys in to her pocket. No sense in hurting Jack after all. She spun in place and pushed him into the wall, pulling his head down for a fierce kiss with her free hand. She had a terrifying sense that there would be little time for laughter or passion or even tenderness in the coming days, so she would take her chances now.

She was right.

TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTW

The third call Suzie Costello Williams made once Alice Carter informed her of the children speaking in unison was Dr. Owen Harper. The only words she spoke after telling him that he was the third call she made were, '_the game is afoot_.' There was really only one game she could possibly mean. Owen swore under his breath and told her that he would be there within thirty minutes. He ran his hand over his face, looking around his empty flat. That was one blessing. He was alone. Huh. Never imagined that 'alone' could be a blessing, but in this case, it was. As he rose to his feet and began rooting through the pile of clothes in one of the chairs, Owen realized there was another blessing. Again, he never would have thought this was a possibility, but Owen was quietly grateful that he was sober when he got that call.

On the other hand, ever since Torchwood returned home after the Year, Owen found it much harder to drink the sheer volume of alcohol he could once put away. He supposed part of it was growing up. But unfortunately, a large part of it was thanks to the Master, who decided that alcoholic poisoning would be a fantastic and incredibly fun way to kill Jack. Bastard. To this day, the young doctor still didn't know whom he hated more: the Master or that so-called benevolent Doctor. They could _both _burn in whatever passed for Hell for Time Lords.

There were a lot of things Owen would never forgive the Doctor for, and one of them was that day. He did nothing as Jack died. Just sat there and wrung his hands, wailing about how he was sorry, he was so sorry. Owen didn't care that as far as Jack was concerned, the Doctor made him into a better man. He didn't care about what happened in 1941, while Jack was still mortal. He only cared about what happened on the Game Station, when Jack was abandoned. He only cared about the century Jack spent waiting for the prat. He only cared about the Doctor's arrogance in deposing Harriet Jones, thus opening the door for the Master (and whatever bastards came after him). He only cared about Jack.

Surprising the rest of the team, it wasn't Ianto who was there when Jack died of alcoholic poisoning. No … no, it was Owen. He was the doctor, after all … who else would be there to watch in horror as liquor was literally poured down Jack's throat? When he closed his eyes, Owen could still feel the restraints that bound him to the chair as the Master cavorted around the room, laughing with delight at each deterioration in Jack's condition. Oh yes. He remembered, because at the time, he was the only one there. It was Owen who held his captain for hours as he died, Owen and Alice who tenderly cleaned him when Jack's body had enough, and Owen and the entire team (as it was then) who huddled around Jack until he gasped back to life. No. No, Owen wouldn't forgive the Doctor for any of that Year. And no, Owen wasn't the same person he was before the Year. While he would still go out for pints and sometimes even went on the pull … well, he had better things to do with his time (and no, Jack wasn't among them).

If he was really pressed for a reason, Owen would have begrudgingly admitted that yeah, in addition to that awful Year, some of his behavior modification came from his … ah … growing affection for Alice? Yeah. That would be a good way to put it. They'd only been on a few dates, official dates, but Owen liked her a lot. He even thought he might be able to love her, to fall in love with her. Yeah, she was older than he was, and yeah, she had a kid (which scared the ever-loving shit out of Owen), and yeah, she was Jack's daughter … but still. Jack was aware of what was going on between them, and told Owen that he was okay with it as long as it didn't interfere with Owen's work. Of course, he also gave Owen the shovel talk … and then a few hours later, turned around and gave Alice the exact same talk on Owen's behalf, much to Suzie's amusement. That was something she'd never let Alice live down.

Owen would never tell Jack what that meant to him. In his mind … much as Owen hated the phrase, intellectually speaking, Owen knew that Jack loved him. But sometimes, it was a hard concept for his heart to grasp. The time he spent as the Master's prisoner forced him to realize something … or rather, start to realize something. He didn't have a hard time believing that Jack loved him because of anything Jack did or didn't do … he had a hard time believing that Jack loved him because at his heart, where he really lived, Owen believed that he wasn't worth loving. His own mother … well, Owen's mind shied away from thinking about her. Katie loved him and she died. She didn't die because she loved him, but still … she loved him and he loved her, but he couldn't save her. He couldn't even save himself.

And yet, Jack loved him. Jack gave his own daughter the shovel talk on Owen's behalf. He gave his daughter the shovel talk. For Owen. He was willing to risk his daughter's fury to protect Owen. The amount of love required to do something like that made it very hard for Owen to breathe. Alice smiled at him, at his reaction, asking, '_is it so hard to believe that he loves you? That there is very little he wouldn't do for you_?' Owen couldn't answer, and instead, turned his attention to helping Steven with his homework. What was there for him to say?

Oh, and that was another thing. Steven. Yeah, he thought about that before, or as much as he'd allow himself to think about it. Really, despite his behavior after the Mara case, Owen wasn't particularly comfortable with kids, but here he was, sort of dating a woman with a kid. And that opened another can of worms … '_the game's afoot_' meant that their worst fears were coming true, and the 456 were coming back. That put Steven directly in the line of fire. By now, they all knew what Jack had to do to stop the monsters in his coma dreams. In those coma dreams, Owen was dead (twice over) … Tosh was dead. But here, in the real world, they were both alive and no child would die this time, no child would be handed over.

After Gray dug Jack up and returned him to the present, after his imposter was securely placed in Flat Holm, and before Jack returned from helping the Doctor with returning Earth and the other planets to their proper places, the rest of Torchwood met in the Hub and discussed their options in the event the 456 did return. As Suzie put it, one person shouldn't have to make all the sacrifices. It was decided that Owen and Tosh would handle the scientific side (which included working out a way to protect the archive if someone blew up Jack again and God help whoever tried that when Tosh got her hands on them) … while Suzie and Alice would coordinate to ensure the safety of all of their families. Finally, Esther and Ianto were responsible for finding a suitable safe house among Torchwood's many safe houses that would shelter the entire Torchwood staff and their families … one in Cardiff and one in London. They would locate this domicile, and they would stock it. And, remembering what Jack said about his coma dreams, Ianto promised it would be an actual house.

When Rhys encountered Torchwood and later married Suzie, he took over the preparation of the house that the Dynamic Duo (as Owen called them) chose. To throw off anyone who might be watching (read: UNIT or someone else like that), he never went the same day each month, or even the same week. If Owen was the third person (or set of persons) whom Suzie called, he knew that the first two were either Rhys and Anwen, or Jack, Ianto and Esther. It didn't matter which set was first. Torchwood was now operating at what Esther half-jokingly called DefCon One, and any threat against its captain or any of its staff would be dealt with accordingly.

Owen was brought up short as he realized just how ruthless he sounded. '_Would be dealt with accordingly_.' And yet, he couldn't bring himself to care, much less worry. All of them, even the occasionally-idealistic Esther, understood and accepted that Torchwood wasn't perfect. It was run and staffed by human beings, flawed individuals all. Any institution that was run by human beings was by its very nature flawed, no matter how good the intentions of that institution was. That was the nature of the beast. Oh, that didn't mean that they stopped trying … it meant that even when they fell down, they picked themselves back up again. And it meant that when someone hurt a member of Torchwood, a member of this odd little family, they reacted … or, sometimes even worse for those who hurt them, they acted.

Owen's lips peeled back from his teeth as he walked out to his car … yeah, the Doctor wasn't real happy with the actions Torchwood Cardiff took after the Year. _Screw 'im_ (though not literally. He really wasn't Owen's type). On the other hand, it was seriously worth it to see his expression after Tosh decked him. Evidently, he never heard that it was the quiet ones who were the most dangerous. Maybe he'd think the next time, before telling Tosh that she should have joined UNIT instead of Torchwood. On second thought, no, he wouldn't.

The Doctor could just sod off, Owen decided. Torchwood may have made this mess in the beginning, by turning those kids over to the 456, but it would be UNIT making things worse this time around, and it would be Torchwood cleaning up the mess. And they needed to remember one other thing … doctors knew how to heal, but the other side of that coin was hurting. Owen had no problem whatsoever of being that other side of the coin to anyone who hurt any member of his interesting little family … anyone at all.

TBC


	4. Chapter 3: Written in the Stars

Author's Notes: Yes, after more than a month, I'm finally updating. My apologies to all for the delay … I had a situation at work that needed seeing to … it's been resolved, but for a while there, I wasn't sure if I would have a job for much longer. My contract was extended at work (and is up for extension once more), but for some reason, it was delayed in Financial for a week … I didn't know there was even an issue until I logged in to do my time sheet, and there was no timesheet to complete. It's been resolved, but there were three days when I was a nervous wreck. There have been other things going on in my family, which has started to be resolved. Enough of that. In this chapter, we have an unexpected voice popping up; Jack learns about what his team has been doing about the potential 456 threat (to say nothing from the threat facing them from their own side); while Suzie reveals Clem McDonald's fate. Yes, this chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was where I should end the chapter. I suppose I could have had reactions to Suzie's revelations, but this felt right.

Chapter Three

Written in the Stars

St. Luke's Hospital

Cardiff, Wales

That day

He lay in his bed, barely breathing as he listened to the murmur of voices outside his room. They thought he was unaware of what was happening. He wasn't. He couldn't afford to be unaware of what was happening on the floor, in hospital, in the world. There was too much at stake … far, far too much was at stake. He heard the whispers in the hallway, he even heard reports of the eerie chanting of the children outside and inside, wherever they happened to be … but the worst part was what he felt in his head. They were coming back. They were coming back, the monsters of his nightmares … and they weren't the only ones. HE was coming. But He didn't cause the black-out the man in the bed experienced less than an hour earlier. THEY did that. The man was important, even if he wasn't sure why. That was normal, though, at least for him.

And normal was such a strange word, anyhow. What was normal? What was average? Those words had no meaning for him, and how could they? He never had a life that could even be remotely called 'normal,' not so far as he could remember. At a very young age (now he understood just how young he truly was), he was forever changed … he was damaged, and not in ways that could ever be healed. He wasn't normal, he was strange … he was wrong … he was a freak. He knew that, and tried to tell himself that it no longer hurt. But he was neither a man nor a child, he was neither and he was both. He had the awareness of a man and the emotional control of a child, and he hated it. But this was his lot in life, and he had many years to grow accustomed to it. A lady who visited him often, with sad eyes, told him that in some ways, he reminded her of a friend. A man who was told that he was wrong, that he was a freak, that he shouldn't exist. But he did. And something inside, a quiet little voice that he learned to never ignore, that little voice told him that the lady's friend was Him, the man who was coming.

He didn't know how he knew about that man, but the knowledge was there. Just as he knew that there was a man who should have been there nearly forty-five years earlier, but wasn't … and this man was the one who was coming. When that man came, his life would be over. That knowledge was as clear to him as the knowledge that his friends were lost to him, lost to their planet, lost to anyone who might have loved them … who might have wanted them. In the years since his first encounter with the monsters, though, he made another friend … one that only he could see. She was a different lady, not like the one who came to visit him. She was much younger, for one thing … in truth, she seemed to be younger than him. Those around him told him that she was an imaginary friend, that she wasn't real. He knew better, though. Despite repeated attempts to 'convince' him that she wasn't real, that he was imagining her, he knew better. She was real. She was as real as his nurse, as real as the pillow under his head, as real as air, as real as love.

She wore anachronistic clothes, but that didn't matter to him. When she was here, she would make sure his pillows were comfortable, and if he was feeling particularly obstinate, she also made sure that he ate every blessed morsel of food. (And he would be the first to admit that he was often extremely obstinate.) He asked her once if she was his mother … he didn't think she was. Her clothes were wrong, and she didn't look like his memories of his mother. Her answering smile was gentle as she told him no … no, she wasn't his mother. She'd never been anyone's mother, and she never would be. But it was her job to look after little ones … even when they weren't so little any more. He wondered about her other little ones, and told her that in a way, that did make her his mother … and her other little ones were his brothers and sisters. She smiled at that and kissed him again.

"You know, don't you?" she asked, making the sudden appearances she liked so much. He looked up as she materialized in his room, smiling as he inhaled the fragrance that always came with her … it was always different, and always lovely. She repeated, "You know. You know what's coming and what it means. They're coming back, and this time, they'll want even more." He stopped asking how she knew things a long time ago. It wasn't worth the headache of trying to understand her response. Instead, he nodded his agreement, and she continued, "And you know what that means. Have you decided what you'll do?" She told him many years earlier, when he first arrived at this hospital what would happen when the monsters returned. He couldn't change his fate … that was written in the stars long ago. But he could choose how his spirit left this mortal coil.

"No. I think I'll know what I'm supposed to do when I see Him. But they may not let me do anything. I have dreams, strange dreams. Dreams about Him, and dreams about another me. A me who dies because of Them. A me who hated Him. I don't want to hate Him! I don't even like hating Them," he answered plaintively. He sounded like a child and he hated that, but there were times when he wasn't sure if he was an adult or a child. She smiled at him gently, her hand ghosting along his brow. He didn't know why, but her smile always made him feel better. Her smile made him feel safe … loved … wanted. Not like a woman wanted a man, but the way he always wanted to be wanted … the way a mum and dad wanted a son or daughter.

"There are some paths open to you, sweet boy. Never think that you must be a victim, because that simply isn't true. Even if it's just how you face your death … that was the only choice left to me as well. The question then becomes, will you die as a hero or as a victim? Oh, you say that you can't die as a hero, but you can. You only have to figure out how. He is coming … you are correct there. He is coming, but he isn't the only one. There will be others. You need to know this, sweet boy, if you want to make your decision," she replied. He nodded. Yes, he guessed as much. And he was so afraid. He was so very afraid. His angel continued, "No matter how you die, you can still die as a hero. You only need to think about it. I must go now, sweet one. But I will always be here."

She always said that before she left … always spoke those words and always kissed his forehead sweetly, as if she really was his mother. And he always closed his eyes, savoring the feather-light touch of her lips against his forehead and the scent of her fragrance. Not for the first time, he wondered what his life would have been like, if someone had wanted him all those years ago, before They came the first time … he wondered what his life would have been like if he hadn't run away, if he'd gone with Them. And above all, he wondered what would have happened if he'd safely gotten away. But in the end, it didn't matter. This was the life he had, this was the card he'd been dealt … and he would do the best he could with it.

Lying back against his pillows, he mentally replayed his conversation with his Lady and then thought about what she said. Word for word, piece by piece … replaying, analyzing, examining each word and each phrase for every possible nuance. He wasn't coming, but He wasn't the only one. There would be others. They would want him dead, but what about these Others who were coming? He thought back to that cold night, so long ago, back to the reason he was in this hospital … and then he understood. Once more, he remembered that he was in a strange position … neither a child, nor an adult, but a little bit of each. He willed the child to be silent for a little while, as the adult worked out what needed to be done. The child was terrified of Him, for Him, but did fall silent.

He knew that these Others were unlikely the same ones he knew all those years ago. Most of those were probably dead (or soon to be). Even so, what was likely was that they were of the same sort. They were most assuredly cut from the same cloth. And that? That made them his enemies. Especially when he considered what he Saw while he dreamed. They regarded Him as a threat, because of what he knew, which meant that the man-child was a threat as well. And now he understood what his mother figure meant when she said he had choices to make. He couldn't stop them from killing him. He lost that ability forty-four years earlier, he lost any ability to defend himself forty-four years earlier. But before he died, before either side killed him, he could take … precautions.

The One who was coming, He was the key to it all. No, he didn't know his name, but he didn't need to know. That wasn't important. What was important was Him and that He was coming. It was just a question of time, now that They were coming back. It would likely be in the next day or so. He couldn't die a hero, but he could at least provide Him with the information to save the other children. And there would be more children. There would always be more children, so long as They were around. He shifted over to retrieve some paper and a pencil … checked his supply and was satisfied that he would have enough paper to say what needed to be said.

As Clem McDonald wrote, he thought again about that other version of 1965 … the one he Saw while he was dreaming. He thought about Him, and the burden He would have had to carry. Clem couldn't save himself, but maybe he could save Him. It was odd, really, since He was the source of so many nightmares that the other Clem had, but he was at peace with that. He wasn't there that awful night. And if He was, then Clem wouldn't have been damaged as badly as he was. Clem knew now that he could have forgiven Him … but he would never forgive the ones who were actually there when so many of his friends were taken. He might have _thought_ that He didn't care … but the Ones who damaged Clem truly _didn't_.

TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTW

"What have we got, Suzie?"

Suzie was already in the conference room, placing print-outs in front of each seat when Jack, Ianto and Esther arrived at the Hub. Jack wasn't entirely surprised by where he found his second or what she was doing at the time … after all, she'd been covering the Hub. Nor was he surprised at the stress lines around her mouth and eyes … he just wished they weren't present. Still, she smiled as the three made their way into the conference room, answering, "I'll explain everything once Owen, Alice and Steven are here. Tosh and Gray will be chiming in from their home via teleconferencing. I thought it best to keep them at a distance, especially with the current situation."

She meant, of course, to protect Devin … and Tosh and Gray as well, of course. But Devin was only a baby, and no one wanted to see Jack's infant nephew mixed up in Torchwood for another ten to fifteen years. Jack glanced around the conference, looked back at his second and asked slowly, "You've been planning this for a while, haven't you?" Suzie merely smiled at him, while a second glance, this time from the corner of his eye, told him that Ianto and Esther exchanged a Look. He had a choice then … he could let this go, or he could press further. His instincts told him that it would be better to let this go, and Jack learned to trust his instincts years earlier. With a suppressed sigh, he added, "All right. I'll let this go. For now."

"That's all we ask, Jack. And yes. We've been making plans for a while, in the event that the 456 did come back. We don't know why you saw what you did while you were buried alive, but it was our belief, as a team, that we had to be ready for anything. It's like you always say, the twenty-first century is when everything changes and we have to be ready. Not you have to be ready, we have to be ready … we, as a team, as a group, as Torchwood. You've carried these burdens alone, Jack, you've carried them alone for so long … but you don't have to. We're here, and we stand together," Suzie replied.

Since there was time before his daughter and grandson returned from London, Jack nodded briefly and replied, "All right, then. Show me." Suzie's eyes lit up and in short order, Jack found himself pushed into the chair by Ianto and Esther. According to his second in command, all of the safe houses were upgraded. They were low-key cottages, more than anything else … nondescript, but not falling apart, either. That, according to Suzie, attracted too much attention, just like its opposite did. Jack realized he couldn't argue with that … much as he would have liked to. As she spoke, Ianto and Esther took seats on either side of her, adding their own contributions … literally. And their contributions, just like the rest of the team, were extraordinary. He really didn't expect anything less from any of his kids, but sometimes, they were still capable of surprising him. As Suzie paused for breath, Jack had only one thing to say … or rather, ask. Namely, "How did you put all of this together without me knowing anything about it?"

"It wasn't as hard as you'd think, Jack," Esther answered quite reasonably, "we made sure that you weren't around when we discussed the updates." Bless her, she didn't elaborate on when he wasn't around. If Jack wasn't at the Hub and the rest of the team was, the odds were good that he was at Flat Holm. Esther learned a long time ago that Flat Holm, while not a taboo subject, wasn't a subject that most of Torchwood wanted to discuss. It hurt too much. When it came time for her to learn about the refuge, she wept … and then she snogged Jack senseless. His somewhat dazed, '_what was that for_?' garnered the response, _'because I am so proud of you_.'

To say that he was stunned by Esther's declaration was a bit of an understatement. Perhaps sensing this, Esther cupped his face in her hands and earnestly, "Jack, I won't pretend that I'm happy that these people will never see their families again. But … and this is really important … this isn't about me. This is about them, and if you tell me that most of the time, their families don't react well to what the residents of Flat Holm have been through, then I'm betting that's an understatement. Those reunions don't go well, it affects the residents. And you … your job is to take care of them." He'd kissed her at that, which heated up even before Ianto joined them.

Suzie had just finished briefing him on the various safe houses in both Cardiff and London (assuming there was another attempt to destroy the Hub) when Alice and Steven arrived. The little boy threw himself into Jack's arms. The immortal captain held his grandson close, a little startled. Steven was an affectionate child, especially where Jack was concerned, but this time, the boy's hug was a bit more fierce. When his eyes met Alice's over Steven's head, his daughter said softly, "He didn't realize at first what happened. Then, when I showed him the footage on my phone, he understood what it meant." Oh. Jack's own arms tightened around his grandson.

But the words that came out of the boy's mouth nearly broke Jack. Steven whispered, his voice muffled with his face pressed into Jack's shoulder, "We aren't going to let them hurt you, Uncle Jack. Mum already said so, we won't let anyone hurt you." Alice smiled a bit at that, though the smile didn't ease the worry he saw in her eyes. Jack kissed the top of Steven's head, holding him tightly. Suzie was smiling at him a bit sadly, while Esther reached over to take Ianto's hand. Alice put her own hand on Steven's back, stroking lightly.

"It's not your job to protect me, soldier … it's my job to protect you," Jack answered. Steven pulled back to look at Jack, his young face extremely serious. There was a quiet snicker from the general direction of Esther and Ianto, but Jack ignored them. He would pay for that later, he was sure, but he was used to that. Right now, his grandson required all of his attention, especially Steven had that Look on his face, the one that was about to turn his world upside down. He wasn't entirely certain, but he thought that Steven may have inherited that expression from his mother. Jack seemed to have vague recollections of Melissa looking like that once or twice before she was taken from his life.

And he was right. Steven answered very seriously, "You told me once that soldiers protected, Uncle Jack. And your nickname for me has always been soldier. That means that I'm supposed to protect you. That's my job. If I can't protect you, 'cause I'm little, then I'll help Ianto and Esther take care of you. Mum says that's a full-time job in and of itself." Jack stared at the little boy in shock, and then looked up at his daughter, who was trying very hard (and failing miserably) to fight back a smile. Following Jack's unintended lead, Steven looked up at his mother, saying, "Right, Mum. It's our job to take care of Uncle Jack?" Alice beamed down at him, kissing the back of his head as she winked at Jack.

"Absolutely, sweetheart. Don't even try to argue with us, Jack … I received a double-dose of stubborn from both my mum and from my father. And my father is quite possibly the most stubborn man I've ever known," Alice replied with a mischievous grin. Jack yielded to that rather childish impulse to cross his eyes at his daughter, which drew laughter from everyone currently in the Hub (including Owen, who slipped in behind Alice and Steven, but made a quick trip down into his autopsy bay). Of course, neither of Jack's lovers could let that lie without making a smart remark. In this case, it was Ianto's snickered, 'stubborn? That's something of an understatement.'

"More like 'obstinate,' although in truth, that's probably one reason why we love him so much. He doesn't know how to give up," Esther put in, the cheeky minx that she was. There was a pause, and then she waved, saying cheerfully, "Hi, Tosh …. Hi Gray … is Devin still asleep? Oh, there he is! Hi, sweetheart!" The baby giggled and babbled at her, and for a few minutes, everyone enjoyed the sight of little Devin Harkness 'waving' at them with his mother's help. And then, Tosh's eyes darkened, and everyone knew that it was time to get down to business. Esther took her cue from the slightly older woman, observing, "We were just updating Jack on the changes we've been making. You know about what's happening?"

It was Gray who answered, "We do. Tosh spent most of last night making sure all of the laptops were updated with the latest firewalls and the most recent upgrades. Thanks for that, Ianto … for the upgrades and the mini-archives. We also know about the children speaking in unison. My instinct is, though, that the meeting has been called for another reason altogether. Suzie, I know that look. You found something out when you used those parameters we discussed, didn't you?" Jack raised his eyebrows at his brother and second in command, but said nothing.

"I found out a lot. First, as we now know, the 456 do actually exist. I did some research when Alice called to tell me about the children speaking in unison. Everything that Jack told us about 1965 is true … everything except his involvement," Suzie began. Esther and Ianto scooted closer to Jack … with Esther taking his hand and Ianto putting his hand on Jack's thigh. Suzie continued, "I've tagged the names that Jack gave me. Surprise, surprise … every last one of them are former Torchwood operatives. I'll be pinged if the next step is taken, to kill them. There will be people who won't want this to get out. Oh, I should amend that … all are still alive, aside from one. He's already dead, was killed in 1970. That brings me to the next topic. Clem McDonald."

Jack's heart clenched at the man's name, and Esther's fingers tightened around his own. Suzie took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and said, "For the last forty plus years, Mr. McDonald has been at St. Luke's Hospital here in Cardiff, under the name Timothy White. That was done at the direction of Her Majesty. He has a private room, also at the direction of the Crown. In 1965, he was among several orphans to be turned over to the 456 in exchange for an antidote. As he did in Jack's dreams, he ran. But that's where the similarities end." Jack frowned. Suzie took a deep gulp of water (not good), and continued, "Owen, I can tell you have questions and comments."

"First, in the event that we can't find another way, I want to remind everyone that I do have some of Esther's brain chemistry from when she was turned into a toddler. That's an option to us. I'm working on other possibilities, but that's a possible last resort for us, aside from … well, never mind. The important thing is, we won't be taken off guard," Owen began. Jack blinked. That never even occurred to him … he remembered Esther's time as a very little girl, of course, as well as the tests which his doctor ran while Tosh figured out a way to change her back. That took a little more time than anticipated, since a) the weapon was designed to kill and b). Owen continued with a small smile for him, "That's why you hired us, Jack, because you can't think of everything. Besides, you were too busy taking care of Esther at the time. You, Ianto and Tosh were her favorite people." This was said with a mock-glower for Esther, who merely smirked at him. Owen continued, a little more seriously, "Now, that's my bit. My question is, one … why the hell is this Clem McDonald in hospital and two, why is he in a Cardiff hospital, when he's from Scotland?"

"I'll answer the second question first. He's in a Cardiff hospital for his own protection. Like I said, that was at the direction of the Queen," Suzie replied. That was a dodge. Jack knew that she was telling the truth, but it was still a dodge. She was stalling. But right now, this was Suzie's show, and he wouldn't interrupt. She continued after a moment, "There's no easy way to say this. In 1965, Jack was lying dead in the Hub after his first encounter with Abaddon. Because someone opened the Rift, he wasn't available to be sent on that particular operation. It saved Jack. Clem McDonald wasn't so lucky." At those words, the certainty that Suzie was stalling solidified and turned into a very bad feeling.

"Because instead of sending someone who thought he didn't care, but cared entirely too much, they sent someone who truly didn't care?" Esther ventured, her fingers tightening around Jack's once more. For his own part, the immortal captain was staring at Suzie, his mouth dry. Her eyes were filled with a compassion that nearly broke his heart, and he was vaguely aware of his daughter's hand on his shoulder. Esther went on, "Something terrible happened that night, didn't it? Something even worse than what happened in Jack's dreams?" Jack closed his eyes, hearing the firmness in her voice, and quietly mourning for the loss of her innocence. As if hearing his thoughts, Esther added, "Jack, stop it. I made my own choices. Besides, at this point, I don't think anything could really surprise me." There were snorts around the table, and Esther stuck out her tongue at Owen and Gray (the two worst offenders), drawing a laugh. Some of the tension eased from the room. But only some of it, because Jack knew whatever came out of Suzie's mouth would completely shatter his heart.

"You're right, sweetheart. You're absolutely right. Something far worse happened that night. Just as he did in Jack's dreams, Clem ran away. But here's where the divergence comes in. Clem got away in that reality, in Jack's dreams. Unfortunately, he wasn't that lucky in reality. Instead of letting him go, the agent who replaced Jack shot the fleeing child in the back," Suzie answered baldly. There were gasps around the table, and Alice's fingers dug into Jack's muscles. As if reciting a particularly difficult lesson, Suzie recited, "The bullet severed the child's spine. He's been paralyzed from the waist down ever since. Five years later, during what was supposed to be a routine mission, the agent responsible for the little boy's injury was killed. There's no proof, but I suspect that the other members of his team let him die." Jack actually felt dizzy for a moment. Clem McDonald was shot in the back, while fleeing from the 456. A little boy, not much older than Steven, was shot in the back because …

"Shit," Owen growled. There was a brief pause, then he added savagely, "Bastard deserves a slow death for that!" Jack offered his medic a small smile, and then Owen asked more calmly, "So, Clem McDonald has been in hospital for forty plus years because of a severed spine. The Crown has been paying his bills and likely chose the name Timothy White to protect him from the prats who dropped the fucking ball. So the question becomes, what do we do next? 'Cause I ain't about to sit around and wait for my captain and my workplace to get blown up. I say we go on the offensive."

"The trouble is, we don't know what the offensive is. And Jack, you know what you mean to me, but I am not going into Thames House like we did in your dreams. That is not happening this time around. I may not survive this … Esther may not survive this, but if I die, it won't be like that," Ianto said fiercely. Jack couldn't have agreed more. And if it was with his power, none of his team was dying. He turned his head to tell Ianto just that, but his young Welshman had other ideas, capturing his mouth with a searing kiss. Jack ignored Owen's choking noises and Steven's giggles and lost himself in the kiss. Ianto broke off after a moment and pulled back, looking more than a little dazed. But he whispered, "It'll be different, Jack, I promise. It'll be different, and it'll be better."

Jack smiled a little at the young man, saying softly, "You can't make me that promise, Ianto. None of you can. Everyone in this room, aside from me, has a normal human lifespan, albeit somewhat shortened. But we have advantages this time around … advantages that the other me didn't have. Including a head's up, so to speak. As to going on the offensive, there are some steps we can take. First things first. Tosh, Gray … as soon as you're able, I want the two of you to head to London, with Devin. You won't be in any of the safe houses. Instead, you'll be the public face of Torchwood, if there's such a thing, and staying in a hotel … under the protection of her Majesty. On the way over, I contacted the Crown, so Lilibet knows that someone from Torchwood will be arriving." Esther mouthed, 'Lilibet?' and Jack explained, "The Queen's childhood nickname among her family. I wasn't quite part of the family, but still permitted to use that nickname."

"What Dad is neglecting to tell you is that her Majesty had something of a crush on him when she was a teenager," Alice teased gently, wrapping her arms around him from behind. Jack smiled a little, remembering that sweet young girl during the Second World War. Owen gagged and this time, Suzie swatted him. Alice continued, "What else were you thinking to go on the offensive, Dad? And don't even think about leaving Steven and me out of this. We're safer with you than we are away." Steven nodded firmly and Jack sighed. His daughter was right about one thing. She was just as stubborn as he was, and at times, she was as stubborn as he and Lucia were combined.

"Everyone else needs to prepare for the worst. You know what I saw, and you've already started to go on the offensive. I need to see Clem McDonald," Jack replied. The entire room (plus Tosh and Gray) began to protest, but Jack continued, "He has a role to play in this. It's not the same one as the role Clem played in what we call my dreams, but he has a role. Suzie wouldn't have found the information she did otherwise. I know, I know I'm making myself a target for people who don't want things to get out about 1965, but it has to be done. And I can't stay in here. I can't. We have to gather information, and I … I owe him this. Even though I'm not the one who shot him, even though I wasn't there … I still owe him."

There was silence around the table, and then Owen said quietly, "All right. All right. I can respect that. I think you're a bloody idiot, but I can respect that. So we safeguard ourselves and the Hub as best as possible. Ianto, I'll need your help to move the Weevils." Ianto nodded and Owen continued, "I'll keep up my research, see if we have other avenues open to us. History, or your mentally revised history, won't repeat itself, Jack." He rose to his feet, adding, "I'll shoot anyone who repeats this outside this room, but this lot is my family. I won't lose any of you. I don't care if you come back, Captain Idiot, it still hurts when you die, and dammit, I don't like seeing you in pain."

"Not especially fun for me, either," Jack admitted and Owen's face softened as he put his hand on Jack's free shoulder. The captain took a deep breath, saying, "All right. Suzie, I'd like you to wait in the car … just to be safe. Ianto, you and Owen do what you have to do to protect the Weevils and our other guests. Esther, you've been doing a great job of cutting down on the number of urbex deaths in the tunnels and sewers by using the urbex blogs and websites. I want you to add this to what you're writing about. If things go pear-shaped, that'll be our best bet at warning the general public." Esther nodded, looking absolutely determined. Jack's eyes swept over his team … his resolute, amazing, brilliant team. He wanted to say something inspiring or witty. Instead, he said only, "There aren't words to say how proud I am of you all. You've done a magnificent job, not just in this, but in conning the conman."

"Protecting the earth, protecting those we love … that's not just your responsibility, Dad. I've said that before, but it doesn't make it any less true. It's not written in the stars that you always have to make the ugly decisions, you know. Those in power may abdicate their responsibilities, may abdicate what they were chosen to do, but that doesn't mean we have to," Alice said decisively. Jack kissed the back of her hand lightly, and she continued, "And if they try to hurt my dad again, they'll find out that I'm like both my parents … even the parts of me that they wish I hadn't inherited! If they try to hurt my kid, they'll find out just how much I am my father's daughter!" And that, as they said, was that. His team had a job to do … and they would do it.

TBC


	5. Chapter 4: A World Beyond Our Own

Author's Notes: Contrary to popular belief, I haven't given up on this story (or my TF/TW crossover for that matter) … I've just been distracted by my _Birthright_ series. As I think I may have mentioned in previous chapters, this won't be in the same format as _Children of Earth_. It won't be Day One, Day Two, et al. That format doesn't work for me, for some reason. Besides, with all the other things I'm changing, that seems like a small thing. I'm also in the process of finishing up my preparations for DragonCon. I have one more gift to get (yeah, that's my thing. I give gifts to my favorites), maybe two. That's fine. I have three weeks to go. In this chapter, Suzie makes her feelings known about Jack's choice to visit Clem MacDonald; two young-old men meet; and a would-be assassin gets more than anticipated.

Chapter Four

A World Beyond Our Own

St. Luke's Hospital

Two Days Later

"I don't like this."

It was the second or third time she'd said that in the last few minutes, and really, she didn't think her companion would mind if she said it a third or fourth. And then he gave her a Look. All right, maybe he would mind, but he was making it bloody difficult (if not impossible) for her to keep her mouth shut. Jack sighed, "I know you don't like this. I know the risks I'm taking don't just involve me, but the entire team as well. But I also know that none of us can do our jobs if we don't leave the Hub. Give me twenty minutes … if I'm not back before then, by all means, come in after me."

Suzie rubbed her hand over her eyes, before returning her attention to her boss. He was right … however, this didn't fall under the heading of 'doing their jobs.' So far as she was concerned, he was trying to make amends for something that never happened (him turning those children over to 456 in 1965) or for something that he didn't do (shooting Clem MacDonald in the back). Even so, he was still her boss, still the director of Torchwood Three. After a moment, she said, "Twenty minutes and not a deco-second longer. Not only am I coming in after you, I'll call in whatever reinforcements I deem necessary."

A gentle smile touched the corners of his lips, and he covered her hand on the steering wheel with one of his own, telling her, "That's more than reasonable. The others know what to do if Agent Johnson and her team do use this to their advantage?" Suzie nodded. Even now, Gray and Tosh were in London with Devin … safely with the Queen. Rhys was already to the Hub to pick up Alice and Steven. After a great deal of (heated) discussion, Suzie and Jack established that this would be the most advantageous time for Johnson to make her move. If the Hub went up, Alice and Steven would already be safely away. They would be picked up across the street from the Hub, and a safe word was established in case someone tried to get them. No operation was one hundred percent, but this was locked down as tightly as possible.

Owen, Esther and Ianto were back at the Hub, backing up all the systems. Again, just in case. According to Jack, the Queen agreed with his suggestion to let this play out, because she wanted to see who in the government (both Houses of Parliament and the Prime Minister) could be trusted. According to Tosh, when Her Majesty learned of the likely plot against Torchwood, she was extremely displeased. Jack grinned at that, blue eyes dancing with mischief, and Suzie wondered about that. There was a story there, without a doubt. Of course there was. With Jack, there was always a story.

"Ianto is making sure that our guests can escape, and that information will be on his PDA. We'll be fine, Jack. Torchwood will be much better prepared this time around," Suzie assured him. He offered her a half-smile, and Suzie added, "It wasn't your fault, you know. In your dreams. You had no way of knowing that your own government would try to take you out." In truth, that was quite possibly the dumbest thing Suzie ever heard. Seriously? She realized that people could be stupid (as well as cruel and selfish), but that was what some of her friends on the other side of the Atlantic would call Darwin Award level of stupidity.

Jack said nothing, which warned her not to continue. As Esther and Ianto both observed, when their captain became quiet or stopped flirting, it was time to worry. At least about him, but Suzie worried about him all the time. Rhys asked her why once, since Jack was immortal. He always came back, he always reset, he was always fine. Suzie merely shrugged, because her husband was right, on all counts. But that didn't prevent her from worrying about Jack. Of course, she never acknowledged to anyone but Rhys that she worried about Jack, not even her teammates.

Jack did what he had to do. She couldn't always offer him an alternative to an unpleasant course of action … but what she could and did do was stand at his side and offer her quiet (or not so quiet) support. Like now. She didn't agree with what he was doing, but she loved and respected him too much to try to stop him. Suzie leaned over to kiss his cheek, drawing a surprised smile and a mischievous gleam from her dearest friend. He teased, "Why, Suzie, I never knew! How would Rhys feel about a five-way?"

"Sorry. You're gorgeous and Ianto's adorable, but there's not enough room in my bed for all three of you," Suzie retorted, lightly bumping his shoulder with her own. He bumped back, his smile growing a little broader and much more real. Suzie was glad. She hated his more false smiles, the ones that didn't quite reach his eyes (no matter how brilliant his lips were smiling). She added, "You best be going. I don't have Ianto's stopwatch here, but I can keep time. Remember … twenty minutes, and I'm coming up after you."

"Yes, Mother," he teased, yelping when she elbowed him rather sharply in the ribs, and sliding out of the car. He raced lightly up the stairs and into the hospital. A 'beep' alerted her to a text from Owen, and she smiled to herself. He'd just completed his tests on Steven and released the boy into his mother's car. Rhys would be picking them up shortly. Good. Reassured that Owen had a place to start with the proper response to the 456, Suzie returned her attention to her surveillance of the building. Her eyes couldn't be everywhere, but she would give Jack as much of a chance as she could.

TWTWTWTWTWTWTW

There were times when answering to the Crown really worked in his favor. As Her Majesty told him when he asked if she could make arrangements for him to see Clem MacDonald, it was rare that he asked for anything even remotely personal … so when he did, she was inclined to grant his requests, if it was within her power. And it was true. Most of his requests were with regards to Torchwood and items they needed.

Once he informed the hospital staff that he was Torchwood, he was taken upstairs to the survivor's hospital room. He had an entire floor to himself, Jack discovered. Some of it was for privacy (keep the past hidden), but some of it was because of the man-child's nightmares. He'd been briefed on his way upstairs. Evidently, Clem knew that he was coming. Jack wasn't entirely sure what that meant. It was entirely possible that the 456's incursion the previous time changed his brain chemistry, in a different way than in his dreams. Jack shook his head. Then again, at this point, he should probably expect that.

He walked slowly into the hospital, and a head turned toward him. Eyes studied him closely. And Jack said quietly, "You know who I am, don't you?" He was rewarded with a smile. Not a knowing smile, not a bitter smile … no, the smile that decorated Clem MacDonald's face now was best described as 'mischievous.' He could only smile in response, his strides drawing him closer and closer to the bed where the injured boy lay. Unlike his other self, this Clem MacDonald was a boy … he had a boy's face, a boy's body, as if the 456 froze him eternally at one age. But his mind … his mind was that of a man.

"Only sometimes," the boy told him. Jack blinked. All right, that was a bit more than he was expecting! He tried to remember how the 456 changed the other Clem, and gave up. Because that Clem wasn't real, while the boy in front of him was. This boy's smile brightened as he said, "Sometimes, my mind is that of a man … sometimes, it's that of a child. Sometimes, I have the mind of a man and the emotions of a child, or the mind of a child and the emotions of a man. It's all very confusing." Yeah, he would imagine so. Jack indicated the chair beside his bed, and Clem inclined his head graciously. The old man in the body of a young boy continued, "You're Captain Jack Harkness, the man who can't die, the Impossible Man. But you aren't Wrong, Captain. You aren't Wrong at all."

The words 'Wrong' no longer hurt Jack as they did once, but he was curious. Clem's smile brightened further, as he continued, "They didn't know that they did this to me. Not yet. They'll know when they get here, and they'll use me to remove a potential threat to them. They don't think I know this. I do. Just as I know about the danger that faces both of us. Both of us are Impossible, Captain Jack Harkness, just in different ways. The Doctor won't come. Not this time. Not the next time. But he doesn't need to come, Captain Jack Harkness, because we have you." He spoke in almost a singsong voice and Jack had to shake his head. Clem flushed, adding more normally, "I'm sorry. That happens sometimes. That's why only certain doctors and nurses treat me. The others … they don't react well to it."

Yeah, he could imagine. And he was still recovering from it himself. Even so, that didn't stop Jack from reaching his hand out to Clem, a hand that was immediately taken. The boy clung to his hand, as if Jack was the only one who could keep him from drowning. Maybe he was. There were just too many things he didn't know. Jack let him hold on, murmuring, "I won't ask you how you know these things. I won't ask you how you know about the Doctor. I came … I came to tell you that I'm sorry. For what happened to you, for what was done to you … for whatever is coming. I can't be sure that I'll be able to save you."

Clem released Jack's hand to cup his cheek, in almost a fatherly gesture. He whispered, "It's not your job to save me, Captain Jack Harkness. There's no one who can do that. My fate was written forty-four years ago. And I thank you for your apology, but you're not responsible for what happened to me. The man who shot me in the back … he's the responsible party, and now he's answering to the ultimate Judge. You don't have to be sorry, Jack. Not for me, and not for the other me." Jack stared at the boy, startled yet again. With everything that was said so far, that shouldn't have surprised him. It shouldn't have, but it did. Clem smiled, adding, "I dream, too, Jack. Not just once, not under the ground, but every night. I see the other Clem, and I haven't walked in forty-four years, but I'm so glad I'm not him. I'm so glad I don't hate you or fear you. I'm glad for your daughter, too … glad she hasn't wasted years she'll never get back."

The mention of Alice truly startled Jack, and he asked, "You know about my daughter? About my grandson, too?" Clem merely smiled at him, and Jack muttered, "Of course." Clem's hand slipped from his cheek to his hand once more, squeezing lightly. After a moment, Jack asked, "Is there anything I can do for you? If I can't save you, is there something else I can do?" Clem stared at him thoughtfully. Jack was fully aware that he hadn't questioned Clem about what he meant about Alice, but he had the sense it was a question he shouldn't ask. Given what he'd learned so far, there was a good chance Clem wasn't entirely sure what he meant.

"You can sit with me, Jack. You can sit with me, and you can hold my hand," Clem answered simply. Jack smiled at that. Yes. He could do that. He gently squeezed Clem's hand, and the boy squeezed back, a game that Jack sometimes played with Steven. He wondered if Clem knew that as well, and decided that it didn't matter. They sat in silence for several moments, before the sleepy-sounding boy murmured, "You can do something else, Jack. You can save the children. The first time, it wasn't your responsibility, 'cause you were dead. This time … this time, it's still not your responsibility, 'cause you didn't make the mess, but you're the only one who can right things. It'll hurt, though." Jack knew that. Despite his team's best efforts, he knew that sometimes, you could do everything right, and things still went hopelessly pear-shaped.

"Doesn't it always, though? Will there be enough to make it worth it, do you think?" Jack inquired, not really anticipating an answer. However, Clem pursed his lips, as if he was thinking intently about the question. In some ways, Clem reminded him so much of Steven … so much that it broke his heart. He resolved not to say anything about it. As he knew from painful experience, sometimes telling a person that they reminded you of someone else was the worst possible thing to say.

"It'll be worth it. Not just to the world, but to you," Clem finally declared confidently, and Jack raised his eyebrows. Clem offered him that same mischievous grin from earlier, a smile that the captain couldn't help but return. The boy repeated, "It'll be worth it, to you. I can't see clearly, and I know it'll be hard, but it'll be fine when you get to the other side." Jack inclined his head, accepting that thinly-veiled promise. They were silent for several moments, holding onto each other's hands, when Clem asked, "Jack? May I ask you a question now?"

"Of course," was his prompt response, and what else could he say? Clem offered his unconditional forgiveness for paths that were and weren't taken, for things that had and hadn't happened, even telling Jack that despite his current condition, he was glad for how things turned out. Or rather, that things were better this time around, rather than what Jack and Clem both saw in their dreams or hallucinations. The least he could do was answer a question in turn. It might tear out his heart (it probably would), but he'd answer it anyhow.

He was right about the question tearing out his heart. Clem asked, his gaze falling to their joined hands, "If we hadn't been given over, all those years ago … do you think I might have found someone who wanted me?" Jack swallowed hard and resisted the impulse to drop his head or make a joke, because dammit, Clem didn't deserve that! In that question, Jack heard echoes of other questions, of other wishes. But it all came down to one thing: why can't I find anyone to love me, and is it my fault? He heard that sometimes when Suzie talked about her childhood, or saw it when Owen looked at Steven or Devin.

But he also owed Clem the truth. Jack said quietly, "I hope so, Clem. I can't say for sure. What I can tell you, though? If things were different at the time and I'd been permitted to? If I'd known? I would have wanted you." It was the truth. All of it was the truth, but it didn't matter, because those other variables were in play. He was wrong, though. It might not have mattered in the long run or in reality, but it mattered to Clem. He could see it in the boy's eyes, could hear it in the way the boy's breathing hitched, just a little. It mattered to Clem … it meant the world to him. Jack added softly, "I probably wouldn't have made a good father, but for what it's worth, I would have wanted you."

"It's worth _everything_, Captain Jack Harkness. And I think you woulda made a terrific dad," Clem retorted. Jack smiled at that, and the boy went on, "You know, some of the nurses who have been here a while, they know I'm not really a child, that I only act like one. One of 'em slipped me a book, not long ago, and this said that all worlds are shadows of the real world, and that people who die without dreams and hopes being realized … they get a second chance in the real world. I like that idea. I don't know if it's true or not. But I like that idea. I hope that I'll be reborn in the real world, where I'll be your son or the son of someone like you."

Jack would never know what he would have said in response to that. He would hope, later on, that he would have said something kind and respectful in response, instead of making a joke. He'd never have a chance to find out. Because as he was opening his mouth to respond (not knowing what he would say), there was a pinch in the back of his shoulder, and an alarmed expression on Clem MacDonald's face, and then …

And then … and then, there was darkness.

TWTWTWTWTWTW

Clem hadn't meant to tell Jack about Fionavar. But the idea, when he read it, was so wonderful, in light of everything that happened to him and to Jack, that he _had_ to tell him about it. As Jack slumped forward, a dart sticking out of the back of his shoulder, Clem was glad he did. He was glad that was the last thing Jack heard before falling unconscious … or dead. Clem curled his fingers around the nape of the impossible man's neck, both to protect him (not that he could) and to take comfort from the simple touch. At the same time, he was easing the missive he'd written into Jack's pocket. All the while, he stared at the scene that was unfolding in the doorway of his room. A woman stood in the doorway, and the hall was quiet behind her. There were no sounds, and that warned him. It didn't matter what she looked like, because he knew the important thing. She was here to destroy Jack. She was here to end Clem's life.

He released Jack only when the men with her roughly seized Jack and carried him to the bed on the other side of the room. And Clem wouldn't take his eyes from Jack's supine form until the woman closed the curtain between the beds, removing the impossible man from his line of sight once and for all. There were so many things that Clem wished he could have told the impossible man who was so very possible and so very human. But the most important things were on that sheet of paper, on those sheets of paper, and he prayed that they wouldn't find those papers.

Slowly, he turned his attention from the curtain that kept him from Jack to the woman who would take his life. She stared back at him, saying only, "Close your eyes." Behind her, he saw Her materializing, and he smiled. She smiled back, her dark green eyes filled with love and pride. The woman before him looked over her shoulder before returning her gaze to him as she repeated, "Close your eyes."

"No," he replied simply. She blinked at him, just as Jack had no more than ten minutes earlier. But she wasn't like Jack. He said again, mimicking her, "No." She stared at him, obviously nonplussed. And now that he saw her, he realized he'd seen her before. She'd been here before, pretending to be a nurse. She'd been here a while, he realized, waiting until Jack came, because when Jack came … when Jack came, it was time for him to die. But he wouldn't be the only one. There were too many others who could identify her, and a scream tried to climb out of Clem's throat. White hot rage swept through him, as he said for a third time, "No. No, I won't make your job easier by closing my eyes. No, I won't absolve you for what you'll do to me, what you've done to Jack, and what you've done to too many others in this hospital. No, I won't!" She looked taken aback by his ferocity.

"It's nothing personal," she assured him, "just orders. You're a threat, and so is Harkness." Clem just laughed in her face, laughed wildly. If only she knew … if only she knew! The woman just stared at him, more than a little taken aback at his laughter. He supposed he could have told her the truth … that she was the real threat. He could have also reached through her delusions, so she saw him as Jack did. She didn't see a child (Jack was the only one who saw a child). At least, he didn't think she did. She said again, "It's nothing personal."

"It's nothing personal, just orders," he mocked, "you know, you sound just like that idiot in the last _Pirates of the Caribbean_ movie, 'it's nothing personal, Jack, it's just good business.' I just hope you end up the same way he did, with everything blowing up around you!" At the words 'blowing up around you,' the woman cast a nervous glance over her shoulder. Over her shoulder, at the bed where Jack lay, and Clem understood what was going on. He was going to die anyhow. He couldn't save Jack. But there was one thing left he could do for him. Clem jeered, "You think blowing him up inside his base will do any good? Aren't you making a stupid assumption? What if he's around other people, civilians, when that explosive detonates, did you think of that? You really are a fool. Obi-Wan Kenobi had the right of it … 'who's the greater fool … the fool or the fool who follows him?' You're a fool who follows fools!"

"Enough," she said, and Clem fell silent. Not because of her threat, not because he felt cowed, but because he said what needed to be said. After a moment, she asked, "You won't close your eyes?" He shook his head, gazing at her all the while, and her next question was a bit obvious, but he anticipated it. She inquired, sounding more curious than anything else, "Why not? You're going to die, so why not close your eyes?" He just smirked at her, aware that at the moment, he probably seemed a bit like Jack. That was fine, though.

"Why should I close my eyes? I'm not afraid of you. I'm not afraid of any of you, or those things up there," Clem retorted. She seemed taken aback, and Clem went on, "Why would I be afraid of you? Just because you, and your bosses, are afraid of me … that doesn't mean I'm afraid of you. And yes, you're afraid of me. That's why I have to die, because I know something that the government doesn't want to get out. They're afraid of what I know, but I'm not afraid of you, I'm not afraid of dying. I've been paralyzed for the last forty-plus years. I have no life left here and I look forward to the next one. I'm not afraid of you. And I'm not about to make your life, your job, your orders any easier." He spat out the words 'orders' with all the venom he was capable of. And that was actually a great deal. He never had the chance to face the man who shot him all those years ago (the man's own teammates took care of that for him) … but this woman, she was cut from the same cloth.

Clem knew that for the truth that it was when he looked into her eyes. Her lips firmed and reached down toward the foot of the bed. Ahh. He was wondering about that. She must have left that here while he was asleep, while she was pretending to be a nurse, when they first infiltrated this place. No matter. He still wouldn't make things easy for her. He would continue to look into her eyes as she killed him, and he wouldn't fight her. That, She told him, would be the most devastating part of all. Everyone fought death. But he wouldn't. Clem saw the instrument that would take his life as it descended.

He watched as it covered his mouth and nose, eyes never leaving the woman's face. Even as his fingers curled in the bedcovers, even as his body fought against the failure of each organ, he never removed his gaze from her. Even when She appeared, holding her hands out to him with a welcoming smile, his eyes never strayed from his murderess. He couldn't save himself. He couldn't save Jack. But with every word he spoke, he was placing doubts in her mind … and that might be enough to save the children. Jack was trying to save the children now … this woman was only acting to save her employers. For now.

And then, Clem's body was floating free of his body. He could see the woman's underling giving Jack injections every few minutes to keep him unconscious (or dead). He could see Jack's associate in the car, looking at her watch anxiously. He heard her whisper, "Five more minutes, Jack, and then I'm coming in after you!" He drifted into Her arms, felt those arms close around him, and heard Her whisper that he was home now. She would take him to Fionavar, and then there, his life could finally begin.

TBC

Additional author's notes (and disclaimers): There were quite a few references to books and movies in this chapter, but the most important was the last one. Fionavar doesn't belong to me. Instead, it belongs to the gifted historical fantasy novelist, Guy Gavriel Kay. As mentioned in my (FF dot net) profile, Ser Kay is my writing hero. The man is just incredible. Fionavar appears in _The Fionavar Tapestry_ (a trilogy of books), in _Tigana_ (standalone), and _Ysabel_ (a semi-sequel to _The Fionavar Tapestry_). If you want to read any of his books, one of the stand-alones would be the best place to start, or make sure you start with the first book in a duology or trilogy. Otherwise, you'll be hopelessly lost. The other references made are, of course, _Pirates of the Caribbean_ (specifically to Cutler Beckett) and to _Star Wars_. All hell breaks loose in the next chapter.


End file.
